NYC Mayor Mamdani’s Recommendation for ’78 Degrees’ Met with Frosty Reception
The responses to his “78 degrees” suggestion included references to France and New York’s embrace of “Green Energy”.
A heat wave is expected to impact the East Coast just ahead of the July 4th holiday, and an “Extreme Heat Warning” has been issued.
The heat wave won’t just be confined to New York. New Jersey will feel it too.
The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Alert for ground level ozone Wednesday. The entire region is under an Extreme Heat Warning through Friday. Temperatures could feel like 110° or more.
Record high temperatures for N.Y. and N.J. weather are possible over the next few days. For that reason, Wednesday, Thursday Friday and Saturday are all First Alert Weather Days.
…The Extreme Heat Warning through Friday extends up and down the East Coast.
In response, the office of Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani issued warnings that both encouraged the use of air conditioning:
“I am asking every New Yorker to make a heat plan before the worst of this weather arrives,” said Mayor Mamdani. “The best protection against extreme heat is air conditioning. If you don’t have it at home, know now where you’ll go to stay cool. Check in on your neighbors, especially seniors, and if you see someone outside who appears to be in distress, call 311 so we can get help to them. This administration is using every tool we have to keep New Yorkers safe, but the strongest city is one where neighbors look out for one another.”
Then, they asked companies to set the thermostat at 78 degrees.
Mamdani then went on social media and asked everyone to turn the thermostat up as well.
New York: it's hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool.
Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you're not using, and unplug what you can.
Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings,…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 1, 2026
The mayor was met with a frosty reception, including references to the French aversion to this technology.
New York: it's hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool.
Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you're not using, and unplug what you can.
Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings,…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 1, 2026
The approach was not appreciated by the independent-minded.
If you commies touch my thermostat, there will be war. pic.twitter.com/kOASHcea00
— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) July 1, 2026
But perhaps the best was a reminder of why New York City and the rest of the region may be facing an energy emergency as well as an extreme heat event.
How is the “green new deal” working out for you? https://t.co/BKMAQVCWMz
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) July 1, 2026
We have covered New York state’s attempts to impose “Net Zero” inanity, which has resulted in rising utility bills and fuel costs. Gov. Kathy Hochul is now openly moving to scale back and delay parts of the state’s 2019 climate law, but the impacts on energy availability and pricing may make keeping cool difficult for many New Yorkers over the next week.
Policymakers in New York and elsewhere systematically overestimate the reliability contribution of wind and solar while underinvesting in complementary infrastructure such as storage, transmission, and backup generation. Even as New York promotes renewables, the combination of intermittent output and slow project development means the grid still depends heavily on older plants during high‑load conditions.
Reminder that the reason that New York City is struggling to power its air conditioners is a Democratic Party crusade against the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant that finally led to its shutdown in 2020, which led to a massive rise in fossil fuel usage to power the city https://t.co/WLoOjKBqfs pic.twitter.com/jtzvzq3pnD
— Enguerrand VII de Coucy (@ingelramdecoucy) July 1, 2026
I recall the Carter years, when wearing sweaters and turning down the thermostat were pushed as policy. Mamdani is taking the failed policy and updating it for the New Millennium with a summertime twist.
And the mayor’s recommendation is completely tone-deaf when it comes to using electricity to sustain the image of a glamorous New York City. I suspect the lights of Times Square will continue to burn brightly as citizens sweat.
Everyone turn your AC to 78 in order to conserve energy.
Times Square: pic.twitter.com/5kZUSACrho
— Josh Sisley (@joshsisley) July 1, 2026
The suggestions of privation and discomfort when the US has the technology and resources to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures are as unpopular now as they were in the 1970’s.
No, fuck you. https://t.co/3T2IxLGfff pic.twitter.com/OYNz3boyOx
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) July 1, 2026
I can only hope that there is not a major blackout in the region.
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Comments
The morons pushing for Net Zero have the same IQ.
I’m so old, I remember when NetZero was an ISP.
Stop making me feel old.
Signed,
A former Juno user.
They should be forced to live without any modern conveniences
Hochul and Cuomo shut down the nuclear power plant that provided 25% of NYC and Westchester’s power with no backup plan. Mamdani’s running PSAs on the local radio about how to keep cool. Con Ed cut the voltage yesterday afternoon. Sure hope folks remember this in November.
I wonder what the thermostats in Gracey mansion are set to? Some enterprising free lancer has to sneak in take a few pics and publish them for fame and fortune.
Mamdummy has the smile of a sleazy used car salesman.
If I remember correctly, Pres. Jimmy Carter recommended 68 in winter and 78 in summer also. Carter supported dictatorships (i.e. Iran) around the world .. and… gee…. hiz hon’r the mayor does the same. Peas in a pod.
Summer is correct but the winter temp was 65 in the Whitehouse. They don’t mention that there were a couple of fireplaces that were working.
Thanks for correction. I keep the house at 68 in winter in Alaska. 65 is noticeably chilly. I know that “summer” has arrived when the furnace doesn’t kick on.
Jimmy Carter hated Israel, too.
LOL.
LMAO, even.
From a science point of view this is a non-starter. An air conditioning system will struggle to maintain 78 degrees when it’s over 100 outside. Many cases you’ll be lucky to get 80. In other words, turning up the thermostat to 78 from 75 will not slow down the system from consuming electricity as it’s trying to maintain a temperature it cannot achieve.
I’m curious about your assumptions here. Our home….new construction, high r-factor, designed/situated not to have summer sun blasting into the house, etc easily maintains a temp of 72 during Central Texas summers with many days exceeding 100 f. I am confident it would maintain temps in the mid-to-high 60s if we wanted, but that’s too cold.
Carter issued the same request for AC- 78 degrees.
What’s the thermostat set to in govt office buildings? How about the jail at Rikers Island?
There’s an old saying: “Old blood runs thin.” I’m sitting in the Louisiana swamps with my RV’s tstat set to 81° and I’m optimally comfortable (DW is borderline chilly). One of the few benefits of geronticity, I suppose.
I’m north of 60 and the heat in E TX is killing me. Too damn hot.
Give me the Midwest any day.
What a moron!!!!
A rise in heat generally leads to a rise in crime. Let’s see how NYC does with that while turning off the AC.
People on Twitter, myself included, bagged his account, with each of us telling him what our respective ACs were set at.
Mine was 70.
I find it interesting that the power in Riverdale is being throttled back on account of the heat wave (elevators shut down, preemptive complete power shut down in some bldgs). Riverdale also happens to stand out because it is one of few areas that voted staunchly against Mamdani, peace be upon him. Is this Mamdani’s Bridgegate?
Policymakers in New York and elsewhere systematically
overestimate
the reliability contribution of wind and solar while underinvesting in complementary infrastructure such as storage, transmission, and backup generation.
——————————-
You’re being polite Leslie, they’re commies who want it all off the backs of the people. They care little as to how much suffering they cause versus how luxurious they can make their lives.
1) Expect Mamdani to inaugurate an imitation of the british police who enter homes and forcibly rip our air conditioning . . . except for Muslims.
2) You want to save electricity? Turn off the electric power on Broadway. Between the signs, the stage lights, and the supporting and supported businesses: that would take a chunk out of electricity usage,
Subotai Bahadur
He’ll probably cut the power to Trump Tower.
I seem to remember new gas pipelines being rejected in that area a year or two ago. Seems like they need the power generation capacity now, huh?
Mamdani is doing exactly what he promised: “…the warmth of collectivism.” This is it. In spades.
People are getting what they voted for. Good and hard.
Here in Flyover Country, we set the thermostat any damn way we want. I don’t see that changing because some raghead communist doesn’t approve.
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